The fascinating story behind the 2025 NYC marathon medal

The annual TCS New York City marathon will award finishers a unique medal embodying the human spirit. The 2025 medal features ribbed, diagonal stripes reflecting the elevation of the five-borough course. This design, a departure from previous years, has been exceptionally well-received by runners and critics. The New York Road Runners (NYRR) creative team aimed to "jazz up" the medal design, incorporating the course's actual topography. Past NYC marathon medals showcased diverse designs, but always included the TCS logo, borough names, engraving space, and braille lettering. Since the NYRR rebranding in 2023, diagonal stripes symbolizing the boroughs are also incorporated. The 2025 medal's popularity has even swayed some runners to participate solely to obtain it. Marathon enthusiasts value medals that uniquely represent specific races and courses. This year's medal effectively captures the experience of running the NYC marathon's challenging elevations. The designers feel proud but face pressure to create an equally impressive medal for the following year.